i've been working on a clone for obsidian stout (deschutes brewery). i found an extract recipe on the web, and beer tooled it into an all grain. i brewed it, and it just didn't seem right. i had heard that the folks at deschutes are very helpful, so i sent them an email along with my best guess. they sent me this in reply:

with some more poking around, i have found some more info.
ABV: 6.4%
IBU: 50
calories/12 oz serving 220

i drank my last obsidian comparing it to my last attempt. i forgot to take an FG reading, so i can't work backwards to get the OG, which would be nice.

(deschutes does not sell in utah, and its 65miles each way to evanston, wy to get more - which i will be doing hopefully soon)

is anyone familiar with this brew? can anyone get the numbers to work out? i can't. i can get close if i can force 72% attenuation on the english ale yeast (max 70%) i don't think i can get it that good if i ferment at 65F. am i wrong about that? if i use a ginormous starter, can i get the yeast to put out a little more? or is the secret the dextrin, and by upping the quantity of that, i can get the yeast to attenuate more?

I have never tried this beer and I would really like to assist you on creating a clone of it! I'll try to get a sample here but i'm not sure if I can...if not, would it be possible for you to send me a bottle?? Also i'm working on obtaining a sample of Mirror Pond APA from the same brewery. I'll see what I can come up with!
Please get back to me with your thoughts about this...(I'd be happy to pay for the shipping)!!!

deschutes is not available in utah. i hope to head out to wy soon (maybe this weekend) i hope buy a sh*t load of the stuff. i might be able to send one then. i'll send you a pm when i get some, we can arrange shipping after that.

I can wait until you get the stuff! If you're going there, how about a bottle of Mirror Pond as well?? In the meantime....i'll try to get our local ppl to order some of each! I'll see them tomorrow...and they are pretty good at getting what I request, and that includes beer from the upper west coast and the west in general! If I get some, I'll let you know.

hey it must be nice to live in a state where you can get beer. the stuff is close to illegal here. technically you can't ship or have shipped, or for that matter bring in your own from out of state. truely a pain in the !@#. i've shipped and recieved without a problem, i think they really go after people who are trying to make some money out of it.

i'll let you know if i get to pick some up. if you get some, enjoy! it is truely a spectacular stout. ( i haven't tried the mirror pond apa but if their stout is not a fluke, then its sure to be a winner)

Sorry if it's a bonehead move to reply to a thread so long after it was originally posted...

Did you guys ever come up with a decent clone of Obsidian? Just curious how this turned out. I'm assembling a list of clone recipes for my buddies favorite brews for when he gets back from Afghanistan. It looks like they tackled this one on the Jamil Show/Can You Brew It (the Brewing Network - http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/515) with the help of one of the Deschutes brewers.

How does their recipe stack up to what you guys came up with?

Cheers,
Tim

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."-Dave Barry
1˚: X
2˚: X
Keg:Nice Cream (Cream Ale)

Sorry if it's a bonehead move to reply to a thread so long after it was originally posted...

Did you guys ever come up with a decent clone of Obsidian? Just curious how this turned out. I'm assembling a list of clone recipes for my buddies favorite brews for when he gets back from Afghanistan. It looks like they tackled this one on the Jamil Show/Can You Brew It (the Brewing Network - http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/515) with the help of one of the Deschutes brewers.

How does their recipe stack up to what you guys came up with?

Cheers,
Tim

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."-Dave Barry
1˚: X
2˚: X
Keg:Nice Cream (Cream Ale)

Sorry to say that I have been off the boards for quite sometime and didn't get a chance to follow up on this. Thanks for the link to the show however...I just dl's it today and will give it a listen soon.